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. Fulfilment of the Figures. 3 1
II.
Fulfilment of the Prophetic Figures.
The Sacrifice of our Lord, as we have said, was a per
fect sacrifice, of which those sacrifices of the Old Law
were but signs, imperfect figures, and what the Apostle
calls weak and needy elements? The sacrifice offered by
Jesus Christ really fulfilled all the conditions mentioned
above. The first condition, which is the sanctification, or
the consecration of the victim, was accomplished in the
Incarnation of the Word by God the Father himself, as is
mentioned in the Gospel of St. John: Whom the Father
hath sanctified? Likewise, when announcing to the
Blessed Virgin that she was chosen to be the Mother of
the Son of God, the Angel said: The Holy which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God* Thus this divine
victim, who was to be sacrificed for the salvation of the
world, had already been sanctified by God, when he was
born of Mary. From the first moment in which the
Eternal Word took a human body, he was consecrated
to God to be the victim of the great sacrifice that was
to be accomplished on the Cross for the salvation of
men. In regard to this our Lord said to his Father:
But a body Thou hast fitted to me . . . that I should do Thy
will,
O God."
The second condition, or the oblation, was also fulfilled
at the moment of the Incarnation, when Jesus Christ
offered himself to atone for the sins of men.
voluntarily
Knowing that divine justice could not be satisfied
by all
1 "
Infirma et egena elementa." Gal. iv. 9.
3
"Quern Pater sanctificavit." John, x. 36.
"Quod nascetur ex te Sanctum, vocabitur Filius Dei." Luke,
i-
35-
"Corpus autem aptasti mihi,
. . . ut faciam, Deus, voluntatem
tuam." Heb. x. 5.